A tradition at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack involves seniors tracing and painting in logos of the universities they will be attending in the fall on a big glass hallway window.

Those universities often include some of the best in the country, according to rankings released Monday. PolarisList ranked Bergen County Academies No. 7 in the nation and No. 3 in the state based on how many graduates attended Harvard, Princeton and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From 2015 to 2017 Bergen County Academies sent five students to Harvard University, 30 to Princeton University, and four to MIT.

In a prepared statement, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Howard Lerner said the school community works as a team "to ensure our graduates achieve at the highest level of career and technical education."

"Additionally, I congratulate all Bergen County school systems that provided a great academic foundation to our students while they were in the elementary and middle school grades,” Lerner stated.

Thomas Jefferson High School in Virginia topped the list with 79 graduates to the top school. The Lawrenceville School and Princeton High School were the other New Jersey schools in the top 10.

Harvard, Princeton and MIT were picked for the rankings because of selectivity and accessibility to lower-income students, according to PolaristList.

In May, U.S. News & World Report ranked Bergen County Academies the second best high school in the state. The school offers seven specialized programs in math and science, engineering and design, medical science, business and finance, culinary arts and hospitality administration, visual and performing arts, and technology and computer science.

Students from Bergen County Academies have collected many accolades while there.

Class of 2018 graduate Katherine Dai was named a 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholar. Two students per state receive the award. Dai focused on cancer research while at Bergen County Academies.

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